The House of Malion
by Arion of Malion
Summary: A short story following the journey of the elf Arion as he tries to regain his memories and discover why he is being hunted.
1. Chapter 1

"Where am I?" a young elf whispered, as he found himself face down in the muddy ground of a dark forest. He rose to his knees and wiped the mud from his face, using what had used to be a fine cloth adornment. Now it was worn and tattered, as if it had not been removed for several weeks. On his chest was a crest that contained a gryphon encircled by branches of a strange tree. As he rose, he also noticed a silver necklace. On it hung a pendent of a dragon, rearing and spitting fire. "What…" he began to ask himself. Before the words could leave his lips, an arrow landed near him.

Quickly rising to his feet, he heard in the distance, "There he is." The elf remained where he was and his eyes searched in all directions. As keen as his elf eyes and ears were, he sensed nothing. A rustle came from leaves behind him. He turned. Nothing but the wind. He turned back, and was suddenly face to face with another elf. This one seemed much older, but in this case, that only meant more skilled. He was dressed similarly but his fine clothes were still fine. "You did not think you could hide from me forever, did you?" he said, drawing his sword. "Oh, how rude of me, I have yet to introduce myself. I am Decsio. I like to know who I kill, so what shall I call you?" The young elf did not speak. "Such insolence! Oh well, it does not matter, you shall be dead soon." Decsio quickly swung his curved blade across the young elf's chest.

The young elf again found himself in the mud. Decsio took out a rag to wipe his blade clean, but there was no blood. "What is this?" He reached for the young elf, and pulled him back to his feet. Beneath the fine garments lay a tightly threaded mail of mythril. "Impressive, but it shall not protect your head!" Again he swung his curved blade, but this time the strike was stopped. The young elf drew a sword of his own, much the same as Decsio's, and blocked without even thinking, without even knowing. "So you do have some skill left in you." Decsio attacked several more times with blows that would have broken through most people, but the young elf blocked with ease.

For the young elf fighting seemed an instinct, like a second nature he had never known. The young elf landed a blow on Decsio. The blood slowly dripped down Decsio's arm. "I am yet again impressed," he said, pulling out another sword identical to his first, and beginning to attack furiously. Even with only one weapon Decsio was a skilled fighter, but with two, he was formidable. The young elf's skill seemed to increase along with Decsio's. Within a minute, the young elf landed another blow. This one to Decsio's face. Decsio fell back, and as he did, three more elven fighters fell from the trees. The young elf dispatched each, yet he did not injure any more than a cut or a scratch. When all four were on the ground, the young elf jumped to the nearest branch and ran along the treetops.

Decsio got back to his feet, and his three companions soon did the same. "Do we follow?" one asked.

"No, there has been someone sent to find him for us," he took out his rag and wiped the blood from his right cheek, and then tied it around his left arm.

When he was satisfied that he was far enough away, the young elf stopped and fell back to the ground. The crest across his chest had been cut in two. He tore off his garment and was left with only his pants, the shirt of mail, and the pendant. When he threw the clothing down, a piece of paper fell from one of the pockets. It read one word "Torian." He reflected on what had just happened, wondering how he knew any fighting techniques. He pulled his sword out again and, in the process, found that he also carried a quiver, bow, and arrows. Where had they come from?

The sun began to set, and he saw far through the trees a high cliff of the mountain range that marked the end of the forest. At the base of this cliff, there was a cave that flickered with light, and a steady stream of smoke came from it. He thought, _Is there someone there that can tell me where I am?_ That is where he headed to.

Before he reached his destination, he came across a stream and saw his reflection. His face was still covered in mud that now had begun to dry, but his long blonde hair was mostly clean. Before he approached the cave, he cleaned his face, and cleaned the blood from his sword. He did not want these people to know he had come from a battle. When he was content with his appearance, he continued to the entrance of the cave. It was small, just barely large enough for him to enter. The fire which had led him here was now greatly dimmed, but he did not need the light, he could see well enough in the dark. He reached the fire, which now barely burned more than the embers.

Something caught his attention behind, and before he could think, he withdrew his sword and blocked a golden scepter. In a blast of energy, his sword was launched from his hand. "Who are you? You cannot be here." It was a human, a woman. She was beautiful; her beauty surpassed even that of some elves, which was especially rare. She was dressed in a flowing gown of white and gold, and wore a circlet of ivy. Still pointing the staff to the elf, she said, "My master will not allow you to stay." The staff then began to glow, and she finally saw who was before her. "You are an elf?" she asked inquisitively, then more sternly, "Who-who are you, what are you doing here?"

The elf answered, "To be honest, I am not sure who, or even where I am. I woke up not three hours ago. I was actually hoping you could tell me where I am."

"You honestly do not know?" she inquired with a puzzled look. "You are at the northern border of the forest Mothadar. This place belongs to your kin, the elves. Living here, I should have been killed long ago, but my master protects me. Now you must leave, before I make you nothing more than a memory."

This was a fight he knew he would not easily win, if he even could. He picked his blade from the ground, sheathed it, and left the cave. As he exited the cave, the fighters that had accompanied Decsio were waiting for him. "So this is what you have been up to, aiding a human. You may call me Fethrion, and I shall enjoy killing you, but not before your precious human dies." The other two had begun to run into the cave, while Fethrion drew his sword. The elf turned and quickly fired an arrow. It landed in the leg of one of the two fighters and he was unable to move. Seemingly without thought, the elf dropped the bow and drew the sword just in time to block an attack from Fethrion. He was prepared for this and stabbed a dagger to the elf's thigh. With ease, the elf caught his hand, and forced him to drop the dagger. It was not long before Fethrion succumbed to the elf. The elf was then able to kick Fethrion to the ground. He picked up the dagger and drove it into Fethrion's shoulder.

"Why are you after me?" the elf asked, though no answer came, for just then a blast of white energy shot from the cave, carrying the other two fighters, one after the other. The able one collected himself and darted off into the wood, but the other remained on the ground, the arrow still in his leg. The human ran out with her scepter ready and shot an arrow of fire right at the elf fighter's head. She then joined the young elf over Fethrion and prepared another shot. "No, I need him," the young elf pled, but it was too late, she had already fired.

"You will have put me and my master in danger. Come with me, he will decide your fate," the woman demanded. He had no room to argue, for he knew if he did not go, he would die there. So he picked up his bow, recovered his arrow and sword, and followed her into the cave. "First, what should I call you if you do not know your name?"

"Call me…Torian." The elf did not know what else to say.

"You may call me Floria." She raised her staff and it emitted a white glow that lit their path. The foremost part of the cave was narrow, and filled with pillars and stalagmites. The cave opened wider, and the walls became rounded out and smooth. Soon they entered a large cavern adorned with jewels, gems, and many riches and rarities. In the center lay a large pile of gold and precious gems, and on the top lay a great green rock, covered with rough edges. "My master," Floria said, kneeling before it.

A powerful, yet calming voice echoed through the chamber, "Yes, my child. I know of what transpired this night. Do not fret; we are in no danger." A great flame emerged from behind the rock, lighting a stream of oil that surrounded the room. Torian noticed the rock was moving slightly, as if breathing. Suddenly a great tail whipped around from behind the rock which then began to move back and forth. Soon two enormous wings unfolded and legs appeared from beneath it, propping itself up. As the wing moved behind it, a reptilian head was revealed.

"You are an Earth Dragon," Torian said stepping back. In the light, the roughness of the rock turned to scales that shown brightly, colors of green and yellow, and his breast was covered with gems and stones of every kind, leaving none of its soft underbelly exposed.

"That I am, young elf," the earth dragon confirmed. "Though you are much older than my favorite here, I have lived many times that of your life. Floria believes that I should…dispose…of you. She believes you have put us in great harm. Forgive her, I love her dearly, but she is young and impulsive." The dragon turned to her, "Floria, get our guest something to wear, something to cover that wonderful mythril he is wearing." She did as she was told, and found him a fine shirt to cover him. Not as fine as what Torian had originally been wearing, but he was not about to complain. "I might have tried to take that from you, had I not already had some myself. Mythril is hard to come by, but when you have lived as long as I, you find it easier to acquire," the large reptile smiled as he quietly laughed to himself. "But do not get me wrong, I have never stolen anything; unlike some of my brethren, I would have found a more honest way of receiving what I desire." The dragon looks over Torian, paying particular attention to the hilt of his sword. "We have not been properly introduced, you may call me Gexion the Jade, and you are?"

"I go by Torian," he replied. Gexion gave a bellowing roar and fire spouted from his mouth.

"I should have known," the dragon roared, "Floria, look at his sword. The hilt is a gryphon, the symbol of the house of Malion." The dragon slashed a claw at Torian, but he jumped back just in time. Torian ran back toward the cave's entrance, knowing all too well that he was no match for a dragon. Gexion called, "Your people shall never succeed." Floria chased after him. She caught up to him near the entrance and cast an ice wall to block the way. Torian was able to jump through just before it closed. She had trapped herself inside, and it would take some time for that ice to melt. Torian could go no further north, so he turned south to find himself.

Upon exiting the cave, Torian noticed that the sun had fully set. The forest was a dangerous place after dark. Because he was an elf, he could still see a distance in the darkest places, but there were still creatures that could see more. Torian began his journey south, not going by any trails he came across, but through the dense underbrush on the forest floor. With great agility, he forged his own path through the forest, jumping over large roots, gliding through branches and vines. He left a path so light that even the best trackers in the world would lose the trail before long.

After several hours, he came to the end of the forest and stood before a vast clearing. The full moon lit the area well, but was already descending toward the horizon. It would be daytime soon and those following him may again attack, so he needed to find a place to hide. He thought to hide in the forest for the day, but the dragon had already felt his presence and could easily find him again if he stayed too close. He had no choice but to continue his journey south.

Torian had gotten no further than five steps from the forest when he heard someone cry from deep within, "Arion." He turned, but did not see anyone. He continued on his path, and he then heard the cry of a falcon. He looked to the sky to see the bird diving toward him. His first thought was to draw his sword, but he calmed himself and thought better of it. If this bird were a spy, it would not have appeared before him. Torian was right; he held out his arm and the falcon landed gently. "Arion, it is you," the bird repeated. "Master, I am so glad I have found you. There have been assassins hired to kill you. They were instructed to retrieve the medallion, but it seems I got to you first."

There were many questions that were running through his head, but first he decided to correct the bird. "No, I have already encountered these assassins. Two of them are dead, but two still remain. The leader is called Decsio. I have injured him. I am afraid that I do not remember you, or even myself. You say that my real name is Arion?"

"Oh my dear master, how unfortunate. Your real name you have never told to anyone, but Arion is the title you go by." The falcon looked somber, "One's name is the only real power anyone ever has. Your identity is something no one can take away from you. It seems though, that you can lose it. You said after this mission we would retire and you would tell me your name, but now it looks as though neither will happen."

"What mission?" Arion asked.

"Normally we would work together, but this time you said you had to do this alone. So you never told me what it was. All I know is that the medallion is the key." The look in the bird's eyes grew darker, "I must tell you, Tesino sent me to find you. He said I was to call you home, and say the mission was canceled, but then I found out about the assassination plot. I cannot be sure he has anything to do with it, but it seems suspicious, so I came to warn you. But I must leave. I cannot let them know that I found you. I will do what I can to find out more about the medallion and why it is wanted so badly." The falcon raised his wings to lift off, but he suddenly stopped and said, "You should head east to the town Nogorath, find the elf Benathor. He is a friend of ours. And if you find yourself in trouble, call out '_Felino Malion._' Good bye Arion," and with that the falcon lifted off his arm and rose into the air.

"Wait," Arion called, "what shall I call you?"

"Noira. We are opposites, and kindred spirits." Then he disappeared into the distance.

"Your pet has been a great help to us," A voice called from the wood. Decsio stepped out from the trees; the cut on his face still fresh but beginning to heal and his arm was bandaged. He no longer wore noble garments, but wore mail made of mythril, much the same as Arion's. "Do you like my new armor? It was a gift from the high court, to aid in your capture. But with my previous unfortunate failure he has allowed me to take you, dead or alive. You destroyed my subordinates easily enough, but I will not underestimate you again." He reached behind him to draw his sword, but suddenly stopped. "No, I have a better idea." He put his hand to his mouth and blew a sharp whistle that echoed for a moment and disappeared. "Fedics," he then called. There was a brief silence followed by a great crashing deep in the forest. Decsio stood calmly, smiling as if there was nothing happening. Behind him a monstrous creature suddenly broke through the trees as though they were twigs and leapt over him, crashing into Arion.

Blinking a few times, Arion looked before him to see a towering beast. It stood nearly ten feet tall, not including the large bull-like horns that adorned its head. The creature's face was gruesome and menacing and its huge frame made it easy to tell that it could break most men it encountered with minimal effort. In its arms it carried a great axe, large enough to cut through the mightiest tree in one stroke. Fedics snorted and growled as it dug its hoof into the ground, preparing to charge again. He let out a chilling howl as he charged, raising his axe high into the air. As the axe fell, Arion jumped back, returning to his feet and dodging the minotaur's strike. The creature looked to where its axe fell, and, finding nothing, raised his axe and roared in anger. Arion saw this opening, drew his sword, and struck at the minotaur's chest. His sword slashed, and cut deep into the creature's chest. Fedics howled in pain, and again tried to strike at the elf. The minotaur stuck blindly, but the power and size of the weapon made dodging a difficult task for Arion.

After a couple more successful strikes from Arion, the minotaur finally landed a blow with the butt of his axe. Arion flew several feet back before landing hard onto the ground. He slowly climbed back to his feet and wiped a small amount of blood from his mouth. Before he fully regained himself, the minotaur charged again, this time with Decsio by his side, both swords drawn. They both struck, Arion dodging the axe and deflecting the swords; but he was not able to sustain it for long. Decsio's blade crashed into Arion's chest pushing him back slightly and opening him up for the Minotaur's mighty fist. Right where the sword hit, the minotaur punched and again threw Arion into the open field.

Arion stood up once more, slower still than the last time. He was panting and straining to breathe, yet he still readied his sword and prepared for their next attack. Fedics was in front and ran full force at Arion, with Decsio casually following behind, a smug smile on his face. Arion did not wait this time. He charged the minotaur. It did not faze the creature, he simply raised its axe in preparation for its next attack, but as he did Arion leapt for the axe, and grabbed the tip of wood that held the blade. He let the minotaur raise him, and jumped from the creature down to Decsio. Arion's blade fell on target, but Decsio jumped to the side just in time, and began the strike. Arion was ready, easily deflecting all of the blows. With a swift kick, he threw Decsio back, and then jumping back over the minotaur, who had turned and charged with its horns near the ground. Arion was able to clear over the beast easily and let it continue its charge, now at Decsio.

Decsio tried to save himself, but it was too late; Fedics had reached him and dug his horns into Decsio's chest. Not recognizing the target, Fedics lifted Decsio into the air and threw him back. He landed at Arion's feet. The mythril had saved his life, but Decsio was still badly injured. As he stood, he found a sword at his neck. Arion led him to his feet while keeping the sword to his neck. The minotaur turned and charged again. "Call off your beast," Arion commanded, "or you will no longer have a head with which to do so."

Decsio nodded slightly. "Fedics," he shouted. "We have lost this battle, my friend, halt your attack." The minotaur stopped immediately, walked to Decsio's side and dropped his axe to the ground.

"I want you to deliver a message for me," Arion said. "I want you to tell your employer that I will seek him out soon enough, and I will bring the medallion with me. But if I find that you are following me again, I will make sure this medallion finds its way to the bottom of the sea." He pulled his sword away and turned east. "I suggest you leave now," he stated flatly and with that, he began to walk.

"Decsio," the minotaur growled, "shall we continue the attack?"

"No, my friend," Decsio responded, "today was not our day to win. Apparently we have greatly underestimated him. We shall return to Tolathorn and tell Tesino what has happened, and we shall wait for him there." The sky started to turn red as Decsio turned north and began to walk. Fedics waited a moment, watching Arion as he walked, before he picked up his axe and followed a step behind Decsio.


	2. Chapter 2

Elves were generally honorable people, and Arion was sure Decsio was no exception. Still he continued his journey with some trepidation. An elf that would hire a minotaur seemed a bit shady. Arion did not want to assume anything, but minotaurs were dangerous creatures, beings that elves rarely associated with. He did not think about this for long though. He needed to get to Nogorath and speak with Benathor and find out what his mission was or if he even knew.

Shortly Arion approached a road that ran west, a road leading to Nogorath. He felt that it was now safe enough to travel the road. The area was lightly wooded, enough that he could hide at the first sign of a passerby.

By this time the sun was midday, he had not yet seen a single person, but a deer happened by. At the sight of it Arion realized it had been some time since he last ate. The deer was alone and only walking; an easy target for the experienced ranger. He drew his bow and followed the deer off the path, to the south. As Arion tried to line up his shots, the deer moved behind a tree, or galloped for a moment. After some time, the deer finally stopped to graze. This was Arion's chance. He lined up another shot and fired. The deer heard and began to gallop away. The shot missed, but Arion ran after. Catching up to the deer, he took out his blade. It was no hunting knife, but it would do. Soon the ranger caught up with the deer, and jumped toward it. Missing again, he found himself in a shallow pond. He looked up, and the deer was gone with no trace of where it had gone. Even more surprising was that without realizing it, he had followed the deer into a deep wood.

The pond he stood in was being fed by a large waterfall, and from behind the waterfall, he could hear a girlish giggle. "Hello?" he called. The laughter stopped for a moment, and then continued louder than before. Then from behind the wall of water, a floating blue light came dancing toward him. It danced around his head a few times and began to float back toward the falls. Arion, in a daze, followed after, and as he got closer to the falls saw a cave behind it. When the light passed under, the water spread around it, and when Arion went under, it did the same. Entering the cave he was completely dry, even from his first fall into the pond. The cave was just tall enough for him to stand, and just wide enough for him to stretch out his arms. The walls were sprinkled with brilliant lights in the rocks, greens, reds, pinks, purples, many shades of each. He followed the dancing light further in, and again he heard giggling, all concentrated deep within. After a furlong or so, he came to an opening. The ground dipped slightly and a circle dike held a pool, and in the center was a fountain. Above the ceiling was a perfect sphere, within which many more dancing lights floated. There was a rainbow of colors, each matching one of the colors in the tunnel leading to here, but only one was blue. Several of the lights picked up a goblet that sat above the fountain, dipped it in, filling it with the clear water, and brought it to Arion. He took the goblet in his hand and looked in. The water was perfectly clear. Before he knew it, the giggling lights raised the glass to his mouth, forcing him to drink. The water tasted like no other that he had ever had. It cured him of both thirst and hunger and gave him a renewed vision. He saw things in such a way he could never have imagined. Everything was clear to him; colors were more vivid, in light or pure darkness he could see clearly. All of his senses grew sharper; he could see much further, hear the faintest whisper, feel the footsteps of those that went before him, he could even feel the energy those around him gave off. And now he felt warm and safe, for when he searched the room with his new eyes, he did not see lights, but faeries.

"What is this you have given me?" Arion asked.

"It is Water of the Dragon," a faerie answered in a beautiful, almost inaudible voice.

"You needed it to see and understand us," another added, "and you can also see other magical creatures you would not have otherwise, like sprites, and nymphs."

"You now have the senses of the dragons, you can see as they do, hear as they do, and feel as they do," yet another said.

"Yes," another voice called, "you can feel the presence of anyone you have met, and feel where they have gone."

"Why have you given me this power?"

The blue faerie floated down and hovered before him. He could see her clearly. She was no taller than the distance between his eyes and his mouth, but she was beautiful, with a beauty such that no other creature in the world could match. Her wings fluttered lightly as she hovered before him, "We gave you this power because you wear the necklace. You have the pendant. We must help you find to where this pendant's future lies."

Arion looked down at the silver pendant he still wore, "So you know what it is for."

"No," she replied.

"Then do you know why I have been hunted down for this?"

"Again I am sorry, but we do not know, but we do know who does. You do not remember, but you have met him. We can help you remember it, but only small pieces, our powers cannot return the entirety of your memories."

"Show me," Arion insisted. The words had barely left his lips when they all quickly flew to the ceiling and spun in a circle. Slowly the circle made its way down to Arion and he was soon encased in a brilliant cylinder made of lights of all different colors. There was a blue dot that passed around and it soon made its way level with Arion, and it quickly jumped from the pattern at him, right to his head.

Next Arion found himself in what looked to be a throne room. Guards lined the walls of the long room. Down the center there was a red carpet that led to large and beautifully decorated chair, where there sat an elegantly garmented elf. Before this man there knelt another elf, which he soon discovered was himself. It was a dream version of himself.

He heard the dream say, "It will be done, my lord Tasya." He then rose and began to walk out, but after a couple of steps, he stopped and turned, "And Tesino, thank you for this assignment." The dream version of himself had left the room, but the real one looked back to Tasya, and from behind the lord, another man appeared who was well armed in shining armor and looked almost as elegant as the king.

At that moment Arion was taken back into reality. The vortex that had surrounded him was gone, but the blue faerie still floated before him. "I saw a man. He was called 'lord Tasya,' who is this man?"

The faerie twirled and said, "He is your king, king of all the elves." At that moment the cave vanished, and only the blue faerie and Arion remained. The forest that was there had now completely disappeared, and Arion was back on the road. "The capital is to the north over the mountains, but you, I know, will first go west to see Benathor. Go there, but you will not find what you are looking for." She twirled again, "I will accompany you. Only you will be able to see or hear me, and those whom you allow to drink of the dragon water." The fairy pointed to a flask which had appeared on Arion's belt, and smiled. "A sip from that will also fill you for an entire day. You may call me Lucidia."

Arion continued on his way taking the road west, to where he hoped was Nogorath. His new found companion fluttered about him, dancing and twirling as she giggled and sang. He looked to the sky and saw that the sun was midday. He thought for a moment and asked, "No time has passed? How long had you faeries had control over me?" Lucidia did not answer him; she only continued to twirl about singing her song.

The song was beautiful, it made Arion feel warm and safe. A feeling that he could not remember when he had last felt, but he knew it was long ago. He let the music absorb into him, and it unlocked something deep within him. He was taken away; his body continued to walk the path, but his mind was somewhere else, somewhere far away. Or was it long ago? He could see clearly before him a female elf in a dark room, lit dimly by a fire far away. The woman held an elven baby and she sang the very same song as the faerie. There she was, in this dream, the blue faerie; she was dancing around the child as he looked to his mother. The faerie twirled about sprinkling a sparkling dust over the child. The faerie flew to the child's ear and whispered something; she then flew up over the mother and noticed the fire had grown much stronger. Frightened, the faerie flew about in a panic and whispered something to the mother, but she did not move, did not even miss a beat as if she knew already what was to happen. The mother, still singing, lay her baby down and turned to the fire. Seeing the baby, the faerie flew down to him, said something in a strange language and a blue aura surrounded the elf child. The fire grew stronger and larger, and was now almost to the mother. Suddenly the faerie was thrown to the ground and an elven soldier picked the baby up. After the faerie hit the ground, she did not move and her light was very faint, almost extinguished. The soldier shouted something, pointing toward the mother, and shortly several more elven soldiers appeared and stood before him. The mother had now turned away from the fire. From behind her came a great roar, and arose a tremendous earth dragon, far larger than that of any other that had ever lived. The belly of this creature was covered in a great mail of mythril, which left no area exposed. It belched a great surge of fire over the woman toward the soldiers. The man carrying the baby again shouted something and reached forward a free hand and created a barrier of water before his men. The fire was extinguished and the water evaporated. The steam filled the area, the dragon could not see through it, but the elves had no trouble. Two of the soldiers ran to the dragon, climbed on its back and began to remove the mail it wore. The dragon bucked and struggled about to remove the elves from its back, to no avail. The mail was soon off, and the soft stomach exposed, there were however many jewels that covered this beast, but still room enough to strike. With several well aimed arrows they pierced the dragon's flesh and hit in the most vital of spots. The huge beast fell to the ground and soon died. The soldier with the baby turned and began to walk away. As he turned, his cloak moved so that his neck was exposed, showing a tattoo of a gryphon circled in strange branches. The remaining soldiers proceeded to kill the mother, and with her last breath she finished her song.

Arion was pulled back to his body walking the road west, Lucidia's song ended in sync with the woman in his dream. He looked to the faerie, who had stopped twirling and fluttering about, and asked, "You knew me as a baby?" She did not answer, her light only grew darker. "You were there when they took me, and when my mother died," he commanded. "Why did you not tell me?" he demanded more firmly.

"The memories are your own," she said quietly, "you needed to remember them yourself." She fluttered over to him, and landed on his shoulder. "I always loved you and your mother, and while you grew I watched over you."

"That is why you are helping me now," Arion said as he began to find a place for this memory. "What did you sprinkle on me, and what did you say to me?" he inquired smiling for the first time that he could remember.

The faerie's light grew much brighter, brighter than it ever had, "Have you never wondered why you are so agile?" She giggled as she flew away from the path and into a patch of trees. Arion followed and easily climbed and jumped about the trees, having no trouble keeping with Lucidia as she fluttered about. "You can move like the faeries, it was my first gift to you." She led him further into the forest; they swiftly flew through the forest, laughing the whole way. Suddenly the trees ended and they found a clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a town. "This is Nogorath," Lucidia said.

Arion stepped from the forest and looked at the village before him. There was not much to see, a small community with houses and buildings made of the surrounding woods. The clearing must have been much smaller at one time, only expanded to make room for the town. There did not seem to be any reason for the town to be here, at least none that Arion could see. He could not see any water sources near by, no mines, not even any farms. Could this community live off of hunting alone? That did not seem probable, though it was not that large, there seemed to be too many people to just hunt. Sure that he would find out, Arion began to walk to the village.

"Arion," Lucidia said as she flew in front of him, stopping him, "are you sure you want to stop here? I really think we should just go, head to Tolathorn and finish this."

He did not listen, Arion simply walked around her and continued on his way, "Noira told me to come here; there must be something here for me." He turned and looked back to the faerie, "There may something here, a clue to who I am."

"What if it is a trap?" Lucidia asked fluttering back to him, "I can see your feelings; you are worried that is going to happen. That he has set you up again."

"I do not know that he set me up, or he may have just been followed. Still, even if it is a trap, I need to see what is here. Benathor might be someone trying to kill me, but he may be a friend. Either way I have to know."

Lucidia did not protest any longer, she again began to flutter about and giggle. "Let us go then, we will figure this out together. I do not know much about Benathor, just that he is a retired soldier of the elven army. He moved here shortly after the night your mother died and he was instructed to take care of you." She laughed as she flew to the town. Arion had to run to keep up.

Soon they reached the gates of the city where two guards stood watch, both elves that wore the symbol of the gryphon. "Nogorath is off limits to outsiders. The house of Malion has ordered martial law. If you have a problem, take it up with the head of the house, Tesino."

"I must speak with Benathor, you must let me pass," Arion persisted.

"Now why would he wish to speak to a runt like you?" The guard retorted drawing his sword, a sword that matched Arion's perfectly, "Now leave, before I am forced to make a mess."

Arion quickly drew his sword, "I must speak with him."

The guard stepped back as he looked at the sword, "How did you get that sword? Who are you?"

"I am Arion, now let me pass," he insisted.

"Arion," both guards said as they bowed. "I am sorry sir, I did not recognize you," the first said. "Please allow me to escort you to him." He sheathed his sword and turned to the wall, "Open the gate," he called. The large wooden doors opened and he led Arion in. Lucidia floated in behind them, and since no one could see her, she stuck out her tongue to guard still at the wall. She laughed as she stuck her butt out at the guard and proceeded in. Arion had turned just then, and laughed with her.

"What is it, sir?" the guard asked. Arion did not answer, he just laughed as they continued to walk.

In the center of the town, there was one building made of stone, a beautiful white stone. The building was large enough to fit the whole population of the town in it. It was obviously a building for protection, well fortified with only small windows and only one entrance that could be seen. There were two towers, the one with no roof seemed to be a spot for archers, and the other, a little higher with a thin window, seemed to be a look out. As they approached the stronghold, Arion got a strange feeling. It was unsettling, but he tried to shake it off.

When they reached the stone building, the guards did not hesitate and opened the gate. The inside was very plainly decorated; this building had no frills of any kind, and was clearly used for defense and nothing else. There was one problem; there were only a total of a dozen guards that Arion could see. Including the ones at the door, and the main gate, that made a total of sixteen for the whole village. With a stronghold like this in town, this place must be of some importance, but then why were there so few soldiers? Inside his uneasy feeling grew stronger, but he had no more time to think on this, for a lavishly dressed man rose from a large stone chair and approached him.

"My lord Benathor, I give you Arion," the guard announced bowing, and proceeded to exit the hall.

"My dear Arion, you have arrived," the man said. He was an elf, aged even by their standards. The man's red cloak dragged on the ground behind him, but still raised high behind his head. He raised his arms and embraced Arion, who embraced him back as not to arouse suspicion. "I have been expecting you; I began to feel you were not coming at all. It is hard to believe it has been almost forty-nine years since we met. I wonder, do you remember?" He paused for a moment. "Of course you would not, you could not, you were but a child. Come let us retire from here, and adjourn to my room." Benathor led him to a small room off the hall. He smiled to Arion and pulled down a torch on the wall, and another door opened. It led to a circular stair case. They climbed the stairs for some time, before entering into a larger room. It was the high tower; from there Arion could see the whole village, even beyond the forest which encased it. To the north he saw a great mountain range, and to the south in the far distance he could barely see it, a fortified wall that stretched across the horizon. "The Shatar call it the Nucrar," Benathor informed, noticing Arion looking to the wall. "It was constructed after the war. You were one of the lucky ones that did not have to fight them. Though I suppose what you fought was worse. The Shatar can be so barbaric. You know I can still remember when they were no different from the humans to the north, but then they learned magic. That is when everything turned for the worse, we could no longer control them, and when their power rivaled ours…" he stared into the distance for a moment. "Oh I am sorry, I did not mean to digress, that is ancient history anyway."

Arion had not even noticed Benathor had stopped; he was lost in thought himself. _What could he have meant by worse? What did I do before my memories were lost?_ He looked to Lucidia with a puzzled look. She knew exactly what he meant, but all she could do was shrug her shoulders.

"Arion, I suppose you would like to know why I have asked you here," he said still looking intently to the south. "I was hoping you could tell me what that medallion does."

Arion looked to Benathor, slightly worried. "To be honest, I am not sure," Arion responded.

Lucidia fluttered to his ear and whispered, "I told you we should not have come here, he is going to try to take it from you."

"Well then," Benathor said, "perhaps I could have a look at it, maybe I can find what it does." He reached for the pendant, but Arion pulled away and turned to Lucidia for help, but there was not much she could do. "Come now, I know it was a gift from your mother, but I promise to give it straight back." Benathor looked at him, and could see him stare into nothing, "What are you looking at?"

Arion jerked back suddenly, "Nothing, I was just reflecting…"

"Of course, it was very tragic what happened to your mother, but I am sure it the experience has helped you in your work. Your job was not an easy one, but you were the best at it." Benathor removed his cloak and continued, "Knowing your mother was killed by one must have made it almost fun to kill those beasts." Beasts, Arion thought, why would an elf call elves beasts? He turned to Benathor and saw something that horrified him. "Dragons," Benathor said, "such horrible creatures. Thanks, mostly to you, they are all but extinct. Though Tesino would like to take the credit for his house, Malion the dragon slayers."

Arion could now see that Benathor's neck had a tattoo of a gryphon on it. "You were there that night, the night my mother died. It was no dragon that killed her; it was you and your men."

"What?" Benathor protested, pretending to be shocked, "You know it was a dragon that killed her, I saved you from it. I was almost too late. My men slew the dragon that killed her and tried to kill you."

"No more lies," Arion was furious. He drew his sword and put it to Benathor's neck, on the tattoo. "I would remember those marks anywhere."

"Alright," Benathor said, "we did kill her, she was a traitor, serving a dragon. They wanted us off this continent as much as the humans or the Shatar. She was a criminal. You should have been killed along with her, but I could see the potential you had, and I was right. You became one of the greatest warriors this army has ever seen. I cared for you, trained you, took you in as a son, and this is how you intend to repay me?" Arion did not listen; he only pressed the sword harder to his neck. "Fine, but remember, I trained you." Benathor jumped back and drew a sword of his own, he readied to strike Arion, but in the blink of an eye, Arion moved. He was now behind Benathor, a thin stream of blood on his blade. A moment later Benathor's head fell from his shoulders. Not only had he removed the head of Benathor, but also the head of the gryphon on his tattoo. When he died, Arion's uneasy feeling disappeared.

Arion fell to the floor crying. "No, that could not have been me, Lucidia! He was mistaken, right? I did not kill dragons, did I?"

"I do not know," her light had yet again dimmed. "I knew that the house of Malion was mainly used to hunt dragons, and there was one that was particularly gifted. I tried to convince myself it was not you, but I knew deep down that it was."

"Please, Lucidia, tell me what you know."

"I do not know much, but I will tell you." Very wearily, she floated to him, and landed on his shoulder. "Many years ago, long before you were born, your mother found me. I had been separated from my flight, and was being chased by a faun. Just as he was about to catch me, that is when your mother found me," she smiled as she spoke and her light grew bright again. Lifting off his shoulder, she fluttered about, dancing about the air. As she danced, blue sparkles danced about with her; they began to take shape, and became what she said. Arion could see his mother as she snuck up behind the faun. "She simply picked up that perverted little animal and threw him aside like he was nothing." As she said that, the sparkles followed suit with what she said, his mother threw the faun into a nearby tree. The faun struggled to its feet and limped off. Lucidia and Arion both laughed. "I was huddled on the ground, scared half to death, and she picked me up. She smiled at me, such a beautiful smile. I looked at her and was instantly filled with joy; I flew around saying 'Thank you, thank you, thank you.' 'You are most welcome, little faerie.' That amazed me most of all, she could both see and understand me."

"That is right, when I met you, you were just a light, and I only heard giggles."

"Yes," Lucidia continued, "that is all most people ever hear or see without some of our magic over them, like that drink you have. I knew then, that she was to be my human companion. Each faerie has one person that they share a deep bond with, something more powerful than any magic. Most never find theirs, but I was one of the lucky ones. I learned that she was a dragon's favorite and not just any dragon, but a favorite to Zeon the Father. He was father to the dragons; he was the oldest and strongest." Arion could see the dragon, the same one from his dream.

"Your mother," Lucidia continued, "was one of many favorites, but she soon became the most adored. She was the most beautiful, the kindest, and sang most beautifully. I loved her, and soon so did Zeon. Your mother was the only elf favorite of Zeon's, so soon the human favorites aged and died, but your mother stayed young and beautiful. Zeon never had any more favorites, and your mother was the only one left. Zeon did welcome me, so it was just the three of us, for many years, centuries even. Until one day I woke in the cave by myself, but I could feel exactly where your mother had gone; she was at the top of Mt. Shena. I flew to find her, and there I saw her with a man, an elf. They were making love and my heart sank; had I been replaced?"

Lucidia's light grew dim, "I returned to the cave and waited for her return. It was not long before she came back, but she did not come alone, she was with Zeon. I asked what had happened; she told me that Zeon loved her so much that he turned himself into an elf so they could love each other. Zeon would stay in his true dragon form for the majority of the time, but occasionally would turn into his elf form and they would always be alone for that time. I soon accepted this, and I learned that she did not love me any less. We soon had wonderful news, she was with child. That child was you, Arion." Her light again grew strong as she fluttered before him. "You are the son of the father of the dragons."

Arion was not sure what to think, he was glad to know who his father was, but that meant that all his life he had killed his family. "That drink I gave you normally only grants the drinker the ability to see us, but in you, it awoke your hidden talents given to you by your father. There are yet some to be retrieved, but for that you must go back to Mt. Shena on a particular day, your fiftieth birthday. That is in two days."

"Why me?" Arion knew that there was no answer, but he did not want this life. He wished his life was simple; he wished he could be a farmer in the middle of nowhere and never have to worry about dragons or wars or anything but plants. He wanted to leave, he wanted forget everything he had learned. Maybe losing his memory was a gift, a way for him to start over. He could just pretend that all he learned was a fable, the story of someone else. He could run away and live by himself and for himself. No he could not do that; he could not abandon the memory of his mother, and maybe if he could find a way to destroy the house of Malion, his brethren, the dragons, would forgive him. Suddenly a name materialized in his mind "My mother, Esonia." Lucidia only smiled and fluttered more freely about. "Do you know who was with Benathor that day?" Arion asked after a long silence.

"No," Lucidia answered, "all I know is that they were part of the house of Malion, when the house was first started. It happened a year to the day on your first birthday. The day you were given that pendent, the day I granted you my powers."

"Let us go to Tolathorn, I must speak with King Tasya, and I hope he can unravel what is happening." Arion rose from the ground and wiped his sword clean. "And before we leave, I must ask, when we approached the stronghold, I felt something, I am not sure what, but it was almost sickening. When I killed Benathor, the feeling disappeared. Was that because of the drink you gave me?"

"Yes, you have the dragon's ability to sense a person's presence, as long as you have met that person. You saw him in your dream, so your body could recognize him."

Just then he got another feeling; this time it was warmer, more welcoming, but had a sense of urgency to it. He then turned to leave and saw out of the tower to the town below. There were many fires about and there in the sky, a green dragon flew about. "It is Gexion. He has found me here, we have to leave now." He rushed the stairs, leaving the man who had started him on this path, a path he did not want to follow.

"Alright, let us finish this, and by your birthday, you can start a new life," Lucidia said fluttering about, her light shown bright again in hopes that she might have a new companion in Arion.

Arion descended the circular stair case, and as he approached the bottom he crossed two guards. "We must speak with Benathor," one insisted, "The town is being attacked."

"He is upstairs," Arion answered bluntly. The guards passed him and ran up the stairs. "They will be back soon; we have to hurry before they realize what I have done." As he entered the main hall, he saw that most of the town's people had made their way inside, blocking the main gates, the only way out. He thought for a moment and then exclaimed, "There is another way. I have been here before, there is another way out. It is a tunnel that goes under the mountains and leads strait to Tolathorn." He suddenly dashed back to the rear of the hall and behind the stone chair. Lucidia followed, but where he stood, she could see nothing, just the wall. Just as Benathor had done before Arion pulled on a nearby torch and a door opened from the wall. "Come, follow me."

Arion rushed through the door in time to hear the guards return from the tower and shout, "Find Arion, kill him." It was too late. Both Arion and Lucidia were through the door, which had closed behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

The House of Malion

In the tunnel before them, there was no light save for Lucidia. "I know what to do," she said with a giggle as she flew about. She cupped her hands before her, blew, and a brilliant white light appeared, "Put out your hand," she said, still laughing to herself. Arion put his hand out and she placed the light in his hand. It then grew more intense and the passageway was filled with light. Only the place where he stood was finished off, the stone below his feet was smoothed out and walls carved. Before him, though, was a deep tunnel, the end of which could not be seen. This did not bother Lucidia at all, "Let us get going," she said giggling more and more, and she danced about as she flew into the deep cave.

"You seem a little too eager to enter the unknown," Arion said as he cautiously followed, "I do not remember all of what is down here."

"I know," she chirped still playing in the air, "but this feels like home. I feel that I am back with Zeon, and…" she paused for a moment, "Esonia." She fluttered more flowingly as she daydreamed about her time with Esonia. She giggled to herself, almost uncontrollably at times.

Arion looked about at the cave walls; to him it was somewhat cramped, he could tell this was more for single file travel than group. Even so, as he looked about he felt the warmth of his mother, and could almost hear her voice. "Come to think about it," he said, Lucidia still dancing about in her own world, "a cave would be a nice place to live." Those words stuck out to Lucidia, and half of her came back to the real world as she flew over to Arion.

Flying up she landed lightly on his head and bent over so her face met his, "We could have it just like when I lived with your mother." She laughed as she dove down and flew beneath him. He turned to follow her, but she stayed hidden behind him. Turning about, he could not keep up with the faerie; so then he stopped, but she did not and he caught her in his hands. He opened them slightly and smiled warmly at her. She smiled back and began to laugh, so did he. Finally he let her go and she dashed away, he chased after. Neither realized that two days had passed before they had reached the end of the tunnel.

Again Arion stood upon a finished hall, and before him, there was only a wall. He was pulled back to reality, as was Lucidia. Neither knew how to get out, and furthermore neither knew where exactly "out" would be; all they knew was that they were in Tolathorn. As Arion approached the wall, he could feel a warm, calming presence, but it was fading. Behind the door Arion could hear cries of pain; they seemed to almost be a squawking sound. Gently he placed his ear to the wall so he could hear more clearly.

"Where is he?" a man demanded, and then there was a light crashing sound. "I grow tired of asking. You were seen with Arion, now where is he?" There was still no other sound, "Fine then, if you will not talk, you will die. Kill the bird."

"It is Noira," Arion cried, "they are going to kill him. We must get in there." He looked frantically about, looking for any kind of handle, switch, anything that might open the door. "How does this open?" he yelled, slamming his fist into the stone wall. From the force of the hit, the wall moved slightly out, and then back. "That is it." He remembered how to open it. He pressed against the wall, using all of his strength, and the wall pushed out, and then quickly lifted up. He was behind the throne in the hall he had seen in his dream. However the hall was mostly empty. There were only two soldiers, they both wore the symbol of Malion; one was turned and held something, Arion could feel it, it was Noira. A lavishly dressed elf sat in the throne.

Arion readied an arrow and fired it at the turned soldier; deftly he readied another and fired it at the second soldier. They both fell to the ground, Noira was released, but he could hardly fly. He weakly flapped his wings, but fell slowly to the ground. "No," Arion whispered to himself and ran to his companion's aid. The falcon lay on the ground, he did not move; he looked as if he had been tossed about and beaten. "How could you do this?" He turned to the man on the throne, however it was not who he had expected. "What are you doing there?"

The lavishly clothed elf stood and dropped his cloak, exposing a shirt bearing the gryphon of Malion. The shirt covered a mail of mythril, the same as Arion's. "I began to think you were not coming," the man said with a sinister grin, "but I can see you are a man of your word." It was the man from his dream, the man he called Tesino. "I am sure you are wondering why I am in the king's throne. Well, while he is off fighting his silly war, he left me in charge. With the army gone, the house of Malion was the only sizable force in the kingdom; he needed me to keep order." He took another step closer, "You know I began to think you would be late, it is your birthday after all. It will be quite a task scaling Mt. Shena by sunset, but it can be done. Now hand over the pendant, and you and pet will be spared." Arion looked to Noira who was moving slightly, he was breathing. Lucidia had made her way over to him, and hovered above him.

"Why do you want this?" Arion asked holding his pendent, turning back to Tesino.

"You know as well as I what that does. You knew the plan, first we take Benathor's command away from him and exile him to nowhere, and then you use that pendent to wish for the blade of Torian the Dragon slayer. With that, you would be able to pierce the skin of any dragon, even the hide of a fire dragon. With that you could easily kill any fire dragon, and to drink the blood of one would make you immortal. I was to rule with you by my side, but you no longer wished to kill dragons, you did not feel they were a threat anymore. You said they were scattered about after Zeon the Father's death. You said you had killed them to a point which they could never reorganize. That is why I hired assassins to kill you; you were going to destroy that pendant. Too bad Zeon was not still alive, then maybe he could kill your father too, wherever he is. Then maybe you could complete your mission."

A fire erupted in Arion, a rage greater than any he had ever known, "Zeon was my father," he shouted drawing his sword and charging Tesino. Tesino drew a sword of his own, much the same as Arion's, and deflected the blow easily. The fight ensued; Tesino dueled just as skillfully as Arion. No one seemed to have the advantage, it remained a draw for some time, but then there was a call of a falcon. Noira flew fiercely at Tesino and dug his talons into the side of his neck and shoulder. Lucidia had healed Noira. Tesino reached for him, but Noira had already flown away. This left Tesino wide open, Arion struck at his side; the mythril prevented any cut, but Tesino was far from uninjured.

Tesino fell to the ground, his neck badly wounded, and his side badly bruised. Arion raised his sword to his neck and proclaimed, "Now it is your turn to die, but do not worry, the rest of the house of Malion will soon join you." He raised his sword to strike, but was interrupted by a crashing at the door. In charged a minotaur, the same as before, followed by Decsio and several members of the house of Malion. This was not a fight he could win, but he readied himself nonetheless.

"Arion," Noira said, "remember, remember what I told you."

He knew exactly what Noira meant, and shouted, "_Felino Malion_," as loud as he could. In the distance there was a loud cry of an eagle. The minotaur had reached Arion and swung his axe at the elf. Arion easily dodged it, and the axe crashed into the floor throwing up bits of rock and marble. Just as the soldiers of Malion reached Arion, there was another eagle cry, this time much closer. There was a loud crash, and a nearby window shattered; the minotaur was suddenly on the ground. On top of it was a creature with the head and wings of an eagle, but the body of a lion. It was larger and much stronger than the minotaur, and easily pinned it to the ground.

It was a gryphon, the symbol of the house of Malion. It turned its head toward the soldiers and shrieked again. It raised a paw and mauled a nearby soldier, who was thrown back into another. As it dropped its paw back onto the minotaur, it tore into its flesh; it then bucked its hind leg knocking out two more soldiers. There were only two soldiers and Decsio left standing. The gryphon turned to Arion, "Hurry, climb on," he demanded. Arion promptly jumped onto the gryphon, "Hold tight," he said as he pressed down into the minotaur flapping his great wings. Soon he lifted off the ground and proceeded out the window that he had come through. Lucidia and Noira followed close behind.

They flew out of the window and right into a dense forest. The gryphon did not hesitate or slow, he skillfully wove his way through the branches and made his way out. Arion did get a look at the city below; most of the buildings were made on the trees, but did not harm them in any way. It was almost as if the trees molded themselves to fit the elven designs. The building they flew out of was the only one different; it was made of stone, a fortress concealed by the dense overgrowth. A castle made for king Tasya; a beautiful piece of architecture, yet from afar it could not be seen, even if you knew where to look.

Soon the gryphon had flown above the forest, the tunnel had taken them many miles from the mountain where they needed to be. The gryphon knew exactly where he needed to go, and swiftly proceeded. "Arion," he said finally, "it is good to see you again. I thought you had lost all use for me, or maybe even forgotten about me."

"Unfortunately," Arion explained, "I have forgotten you, I had forgotten everything, and have just recently regained some memories." Lucidia had trouble keeping up with the powerful gryphon, but after much struggling she had made it and landed in Arion's lap.

"Hello again Ciezer," she giggled.

"Hello my dear faerie," the gryphon responded. "Have you brought him back to me?" he asked, but all she did was giggle more. "Lucidia had watched over you for many years while Benathor cared for you, but it became too dangerous for her. Benathor may not have been able to seen her, but he had creatures in his service that could. So she came to me. I was a pet of Benathor's, the pet he cherished most of all. I became the symbol of his house, but he did not corrupt me like he did so many others. Lucidia got to me first. She told me to watch over you, told me who you were, and I did."

Suddenly Noira spoke up, "There are riders coming from the forest, they are heading to the mountain. They must intend to stop us." Arion turned, and just as Noira said, he saw with his keen vision, given to him by his father, fifty or so riders quickly heading to the mountain range. They would get to the base just as Ciezer got him to the top. With the path that climbed the mountain, it would take them just under three hours to scale it.

"We have time," Ciezer said. Just then a rush of fire climbed toward them. The gryphon dodged it just in time. Arion looked, it was Gexion. The dragon had found him again.

"You will not get what you seek," the green dragon called. On his back was his human favorite, she twirled her staff about and created a translucent green barrier before Ciezer. He tried to pass around it, but it was too large; he had to slow down. Lucidia jumped up and flew to the barrier, placed her hands on it, and it shattered; the energy dispersed. She turned to Floria, the favorite, and stuck her tongue out before returning to Arion. Floria tried again, but the gryphon flew faster and passed by where the barrier was placed. Again she tried, but it was now too late, Ciezer had reached the peak of the mountain.

The top of Mt. Shena was flat, almost perfectly smooth. There were many statues depicting battles, they were all of an elf against a man; each had the human with the advantage. In the center was what seemed to be an alter. The mountain had snow below its peak, but there was none at the top, and as a matter of fact, it was quite warm. Arion could feel a strong magic throughout the mountain's peak.

"There," Ciezer said, "you must stand on the alter." Arion jumped from his back and ran to the large stone table, but before he made it, Gexion was there. Arion stopped suddenly and the dragon gave out a tremendous roar. Floria jumped from his back and pointed her staff at Arion.

"I shall take your life," Gexion bellowed, "for all lives you have taken of my brethren." Floria chanted something Arion did not understand, but after he could not move from where he stood. The dragon opened wide his mouth and dropped it to take a bite out of Arion.

"Stop," Lucidia screamed, "he is the son of Zeon the Father. His mother was his favorite." She flew before Arion, and the dragon stopped suddenly. "You must believe me, if you kill him, you kill your own."

"Why should I trust you, faerie?" the dragon asked.

"You know I tell the truth," she answered. "I know you can feel it within me. Please, just let him stand on the alter, and you will see for yourself."

"You wish me to allow him to wish for the blade of the Great Killer? The only man to ever kill more dragons than he?"

"It is not to make his wish," Lucidia said, "that he cannot do until the sun falls below the mountain this day. After the sun has fully set, he no longer can make his wish. So please, let him stand there. He can help you if you do this. He can help you defend against anyone else who wishes to destroy your kind, for he is your kind."

Gexion could sense her honesty. He thought for some time. Regardless of his intentions now, that did not forgive him of what he did in the past. However, if Gexion did kill Arion, he would be no better; killing his own kind, he could not do it. He hesitantly stepped off of the alter, and Floria released him from the spell. Arion walked passed the dragon, passed the favorite, and began to climb onto the alter.

Just as he pulled himself on a man shouted, "Stop him." The soldiers of the house of Malion had arrived. The foremost soldiers readied arrows, but before they could fire Lucidia flew to Arion and hid him in an illusion. It now looked as if nothing were there. Decsio led, with Tesino and the minotaur Fedics right behind him. Tesino had received some quick medical attention and looked well enough to fight. The rest were well prepared and anxious to attack. Because of the narrow path, only five soldiers could enter at a time, but each was very eager to take on the gryphon, and much more eager to take on the dragon. Noira stayed back with Arion, not being of much help here, but Ciezer, Gexion and Floria all attacked. Floria stayed back a way to cast her spells; the dragon breathed fire, biting and clawing at his enemies; Ciezer flew about mauling, and snapping his beak at the soldiers.

Arion paid no attention to the ensuing battle; he was far more interested in what was before him. He saw his father in the sky some distance away, flying toward him. It was only a spirit, but it was still him. He landed and said, "My son, I am glad you have made it here. I am glad to see you again, and that you know the truth. I will grant you my power, on the condition that you atone for what you have done. You are my son, and I forgive you, but your brothers will not forgive you so easily, nor will they accept you. You know what you must do."

"Yes, father," Arion said filled with a great joy and honor, "I know what I must do and I will. I promise." Zeon nodded and gently blew a blue flame at Arion. The flame was cool as it surrounded him. It entered into his body and filled him; he had a sense of wholeness like he had never known before, he never knew could exist. The fire entered into his muscles, and he felt a great strength and feeling of control over his abilities; he could feel the magic of the ages give him wisdom and abilities he could never have otherwise learned; he could feel what it was to be a dragon, and his eyes reflected it, his pupil was now only a slit.

"You are my only living son," Zeon said, "You will one day lead them. Only after you have atoned for your mistakes will they accept you. You must bring order to our kind; you must help us to thrive again."

The image of his father soon disappeared, and he stood still absorbing the new feelings he had, the new power he had acquired. He saw that evening was approaching; the sun would soon be level with the mountain top. The battle still raged behind him, he was not sure how much time had passed, but more than half of the soldiers lay dead and the ones that remained fought even harder. The dragon had been circled, the favorite was tired and weakened, and the gryphon had been forced to land. They had all been badly injured, but yet they still fought waiting for Arion. He knew this. Reaching deep within him, he felt his father's presence, he felt the form of the dragon that lay dorment and soon he could feel a pressure on his back. The mythril mail snapped apart and his shirt ripped and his weapons fell to the ground as two dragon-like green wings formed from his back. With a couple quick beats of his wings, Arion was airborne and he flew to the gryphon who was in the most need. A soldier had readied a blow for Ciezer's neck, but Arion tackled the soldier before the attack. There were two other soldiers attacking the gryphon. Arion felt a great heat surging inside of him; reaching out with both of his hands, one to each soldier, a flame grew on his hand. The fire continued to strengthen and shot out in a stream toward the soldiers, both of whom became engulfed in flame. Dropping to their knees, they had to throw down their weapons as they become red hot from the fire, but soon they began to burn alive within their armor, they tore the plate and mail off revealing burns and blistered flesh.

Arion called back the flames and set his sights elsewhere, several archers were preparing to fire at Floria. Arion again took flight grabbing the soldier's still red-hot sword, he could not explain it, but Arion was not hurt from touching it. Diving forward, he slashed out several times with the sword severing the hands of the archers.

Arion then looked to Gexion, two soldiers were at the dragon's belly, trying to remove a large jewel that shielded his soft flesh. Tesino, Descio and Fedics all waited for their opportunity to strike. Arion flew underneath Gexion and crashed into the two soldiers who were knocked off the mountain face. He then flew back to Gexion, landing at his feet, "Brother."

The great earth dragon looked down to him, seeing the wings that sprout from his back, "You have saved me." He smiled, "Brother."

"Tesino," Arion called, but he realized the dark feeling of Tesino's presence was gone and as he turned from the dragon he saw that Tesino was no where in sight, however Decsio and Fedics remained. The dragon roared and jumped to attack Decsio and the minotaur. "No, Gexion," Arion demanded, "they are hired; they have nothing to do with this." Gexion promptly landed, and nodded.

"Thank you, Arion," Fedics said.

"Yes, thank you. We shall not forget you," Decsio added. He bowed as he began his descent down the mountain.

"Arion," Gexion said regaining the elf's attention, "while you have proven yourself to me, the rest of the dragons will not be so easily swayed. You had hunted us down to the brink of extinction, I will help however I can to renew your name among out kind, but it will not be easy and it will not be quick."

"I know," Arion replied solemnly, "but I must do this on my own. I assure you, as long as I have breath, I will work to strengthen our kind." Gexion smiled, Floria climbed on his back and with a leap off the mountain they were gone into the distance.

As the draon left, the sun came level with the mountaintop and a bright flash of light entered the area. The pendent that hung on Arion's neck shot a beam of energy through the light, and created a path through the light that Arion alone could see. He walked along the path that led off the mountain, but somehow he was able to continue without falling. In the distance he could hear singing, the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. His body was overwhelmed with a safe and warm feeling; he said only one word, "Mother."

It was her, in the distance, Esonia's spirit waited; singing the same song he had heard as a child, the same song that Lucidia sang for him. "My son," she said, but still somehow the music continued, "This is my true gift to you. Serving a dragon, I knew my fate long before you were born, so with Zeon's help, I crafted that pendant so you could meet me someday. I may also grant you any one thing that you wish. You need not say anything, for I already know what it is you wish." She leaned over and whispered into his ear three words. She told him his name, his true name, and with that a rush of memories came over him. He could remember everything, all the memories that he had lost, all the events that made him the person he was.

The song ended and he found himself still standing on the mountaintop. The light soon faded, and they all saw him standing there, smiling. They knew immediately what had happened. When they asked what he wished for, he said nothing. He reached deep within himself and called on the power that his father had given him. Suddenly his body shrunk, and he became a faerie. He flew over to Lucidia and said, "I love you, I love you as my mother did."

She giggled and kissed him. She whispered in his ear, "Xaon the Son." They smiled at each other as they fluttered off together.

13


End file.
